Nurturing Resilience in Children and Adolescents with DMDD

This chapter describes the author’s shift from a “deficit” to a “strength-based,” resilience approach when working with children and adolescents with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD). The shift is rooted in the author’s experiences working as the head of the school in a child and adolescent inpatient program in a psychiatric hospital as well as with challenging youngsters in his clinical practice. Guiding principles for clinicians to use when helping children and adolescents to become more resilient are highlighted. Detailed descriptions of therapeutic interactions with these children and adolescents and their parents and teachers are offered.